Sending a Smile

This card is for a friend who doesn't live near me anymore. I started with a Gelli Plate print which I made a few weeks ago using a bunch of acrylic paints and stencils from my stash. It happened to be primarily orange and blue so I thought it would make a good entry for My Favorite Things Color Challenge #148 (see the colors below.)

There had been two birds on the original print which I made using a stencil I cut myself from the Hero Arts "Coloring Layering Bird" stamp and die set. The birds were were not as prominent as I wanted them to be, so I used Distress Ink to enhance them, and I also used Distress Embossing Glaze (a new product for me) in Vintage photo on the tails and Crackling Campfire on the breasts of the birds! As you can see, this embossing glaze is different than regular embossing powders because it remains clear enough to see the design beneath the embossing. Hence, the designs on the bodies of the birds from the original Gelli Print can be seen though the glaze. I love how this turned out and the whole project took on a mixed media feel.

The sentiments are a mixed bag - Simon Says Stamp for the "Sending" die which I stacked three together for added dimension, and a MFT stamp from "Smile Maker" which I cut to leave "a smile for you." I am entering this card project in 2 more challenges, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Stamp It" and the TicTackToe Challenge #80 (see the grid below - across the top, stripes, masculine, and blue.)

Thanks for checking out my blog today!

 

 

Cheerful

A holiday card with one of Penny Black's cat stamps which I just love! Colored this happy guy with copic marker and double framed it with some oval dies. The background is Simon Says Stamp "Leaves and Berries" and the sentiment is from Holiday Greetings Mix 1. I am entering this card project into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Anything Goes" and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Stamp It!" I am also going to post this card on Instagram for Jenn Shurkus's challenge #getcrackingonchristmas.

As You Rest & Heal

I recently purchased this SSS "Stylized Tulips" die and wasn't sure how I wanted to use it at first. Blended Distress Inks on this  background panel seemed to be the right home for these tulips. Wanting to add a special touch, I used Gina K Design Petite Flourish background stamp on the tulips and some Antique Linen distress ink so the card stock wasn't completely white. I used a Spellbinders Candlewick rectangle die for the design around the panel and a sentitment from SSS "Healing Hugs" stamp set (one of my favorites.) This is for a special person who just got out of the hospital. Entering it in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes"  and Monday Challenge "Beautiful Botanicals." (a trick to keep all of the little pieces together as you work with them = use Press & Seal, invented by Jennifer McGuire's husband!)

closer view

Believe

This card project uses the water color stamps from Art Impression. They are so much fun because you can pick and choose whichever stamps you want to create whatever picture you want. The Bonnie Krebs's videos are very easy to follow. Here is her latest video - Bonnie Krebs AI video. And Sandy Allnock has two classes on how to use these stamps. I have taken both of her courses although I have not completed the second course on making AI scenes. Find Sandy's classes HERE. I want to add this project to the Art Impressions Simple Challenge this week. Plus, it fits into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge "Anything Goes" and Monday Challenge "Beautiful Botanicals."

Offering Sympathy

Summer is slipping away and as much as I love the colors of fall for card projects, I can't resist coloring flowers! This card features a Penny Black stamp, sentiment from Altenew with a stencil background from Mint Owl Studios, together for a Sympathy card. I always need them and a few friends of mine always order sympathy cards from me, too. This image on water color paper was colored with Zig Real Brush Markers  I am entering this card in the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for August and Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Beautiful Botanicals.

Smile

I absolutely LOVE layering stencils and have been looking for new ones lately. Although you can mask areas of a stencil to make it perform like a layering set, some companies are producing these sets more and more. This stencil set is from Pretty Pink Posh "Layered Leaves & Flowers." I used Distress Inks for the background (stencils.) Then I searched through my sets to find a matching flower = Stampin'Up's Flower Patch and matching die "Flower Flair Framlets" to create several flowers to layer on top for more dimension. The "Smile" sentiment is from Technique Tuesday. This is for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Beautiful Botanicals.

Gnome One Like You

Made this cute card for a friend a few days ago and thought I might as well add it to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Oh So Cute." These cute stamp images are from Purple Onion  and Open Studio, colored with copic markers. This is a 4-bar size card, so it's smaller than the standard A- 2 size.